Ceiling-plate for steam-risers



(No Model.)

J. RGOTTER. CEILING PLATE FUR STEAMRISERS.

No. 458,443. Patented Aug. 25, 1891.

UNITED STATES?! PATENT FFICE.

JOHN F, COTTER, or irANsAs crr Y, MISSOURI.

CEILING-PLATE F oR STEAM-RISEBS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,443, dated August25, I891.

Original application filed March 31, 1890, Serial No. 346,082. Dividedand this application filed November 28. 1390. Serial No. 372,872. (Nomodel-l a To 0. whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOHN F. COTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Ceiling-Plates forSteam- Risers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to a ceiling-plate for use on steam pipes or risersin the application of steam-pipes to buildings; and the object of theinvention is to provide a separable plate adapted to be applied to asteam pipe or riser after the same has been placed in a building andwhich will clamp or hold itself on such pipe or riser by frictionalcontact therewith at a point close to the ceiling to conceal theunsightly hole and broken edges in the ceiling, as well as to clampitself on such riser below the ceiling, in order to support afinish-tube, which protects the woodwork adjoining the riser in a mannershown and described in an earlier application filed by me on the 31stday of March, 1890, Serial No. 346,082. and of which the presentapplication is a division.

With these and other ends in view my presentinvention is a ceiling-platecomprising an inner corrugated ring or strip and another ring corrugatedtransverselyto the inner ring and sprung into the ends of thecorrugations of the inner ring, substantially as will be hereinaftermore fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is an elevation of a pipe orriser with the plate attached thereto. Fig. II is a plan view of theinner section of the ceiling-plate. Fig. III is an edge view of theouter section of said plate. Fig. IV is a plan view of the ceilingplateentire, showing the manner of connecting the two sections. Fig. V is adetail sectional view on the line 00 as of Fig. IV.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figuresof the drawm ss.

I is the ceiling of a room. 2 is the steam pipe or riser, and 3 is thevertical thimble.

My ceiling-plate 5 is to be applied to the riser of the steam-pipe at ornear the point where the riser enters the ceiling or passes into a wallor other surface or at a point below the ceiling. This ceiling-plate iscon structed to be readily applied to the riser, to hold itself thereonby frictional contact, and

to expand or contract with the steam-pipe according to the temperatureof the same or' the surrounding atmosphere.

The ceiling-plate is constructed of two parts, members, or rings 6 7,each bent or formed from a single piece or strip of sheet metal of anysuitable kind, and said members or rings are interlocked with eachother. The strip or piece of sheet metal of which the inner member orring 6 of the ceiling-plate is made is corrugated at right angles to theplane of its face or the length thereof with a series of corrugations6', while the other member of ring 7 has its strip of metal corrugated,as at 7 in a plane at right angles to the length of the corrugations 6'of the inner member 6. The corrugations of the member 6 lie at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the pipe or riser around which theceiling-plate is placed, and the ring or member 6 is bent into annularform to provide an opening for the admission of the steam pipe or riser,the inner edge of the metal strip of which the member 6 is formed beingpresented to the surface of the steam pipe or riser. This inner member 6clasps the steam pipe or riser very firmly, so as to hold itself inplace thereon, and the force or pressure with which the inner member 6grasps the steam-pipe is increased by the outer ring or member 7engaging or interlocking with the inner member. The outer member 7 hasits corrugations 7 let or sprung into the ends of the corrugations 6 ofthe inner ring, and the outer member is constructed so as to compressthe inner member and cause it to bind very firmly on the steam-pipe.

In practice I prefer to provide the outer ring or member 7 with twicethe number of corrugations of the inner ring, so that the corrugationsof the outer member enter each corrugation and the space between thecorrugations of the inner member; but this is not essential. The ends ofthe inner ring or member 6 are joined by lapping 'or interlocking theend corrugations of the ring and by a tongue 8 on one end, which entersan aperture 18 on the other end of the ring 6, the tongue being bentafter it passes through the aperture in order to obviate disengagementof the parts. The outer ring is secured at one end to the inner ring, asby a rivet 9, while the free end of the outer corrugated ring isinterlocked with the riveted or fastened end thereof, or secured inplace by any suitable contrivance.

I have found by practical experience that a ceiling plate constructed asherein described can be very readily applied to a steam pipe or riser,that it holds itself thereon with a firm grasp, that it expands orcontracts with the steam-pipe which it embraces without being releasedfrom said pipe, and that it provides a neat and ornamental finish at thepoint where the pipe enters the ceiling and covers and conceals thetongues at the lower end of the thimble.

It frequently happens that a steam-pipe must pass through or in closejuxtaposition to a girder or to a molding or cornice near the ceiling ofa room, and'in order to protect the girder, cornice, or molding from theradiation of heat from the steam pipe or riser and without extending thethimble below the line of the ceiling I provide 'a separate finish-pipe20, which is fitted closely around the steam pipe or riser. The lowerend of this finishpipe 20 extends below the ceiling the desireddistance, and it rests on and is supported by the ceiling-plate, whichplate grasps the pipe with sufficient force to hold itself and thefinish-pipe in place, while the upper end of this pipe 20 is fitted intothe thimble. This finish-pipe and the ceiling-plate are constructed toexpand and contract with the steam pipe or riser; and to provide forthis desiderata in the finish-pipe I bend the edges of the pipe so as tointerlock and form an expansion-joint, as is obvious.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description,taken in connection with the drawings. 4

I do not confine myself to the form and proportion of parts and detailsof construction herein shown and described as embodiments of myinvention, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes andmodifications as fall within the spirit of my invention.

No claim is herein made to the combination, with a steam pipe or riser,of the ceiling-plate rigid with the pipe or riser at or below thesurface of a ceiling and a finish or protection tube fitted around theriser and resting on or supported by the ceiling-plate, as said devicesare claimed, among others, in my earlier application filed March 31,1890, Serial No. 346,082, hereinbefore referred to.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An expansible ceiling-plate adapted to hold or clamp itself on asteam-pipe, consisting of an inner corrugated ring or strip and anotherring corrugated, as specified, and sprung into the ends of thecorrugations of the inner ring, substantially as described.

2. An expansible ceiling-plate consisting of two members or parts, oneof which is corrugated at right angles to the axis of the pipe and theother member is corrugated at right angles to the length of thecorrugations of the first-named member, the two members having thecorrugations thereof interlocked, substantially as described.

3. An expansible ceiling-plate consisting of two parts or members, theinner member being corrugated at right angles to the longitudinal axisof a pipe which'is adapted to pass centrally through the inner memberand the outer member having its corrugations fitted or sprung into theends of the corrugations of the inner member, substantially asdescribed.

i. An expansible ceiling-plate consisting of two parts or members, theinner member being bent into annular form to provide a pipereceivingopeningand having a continuous series of corrugations, which lie atright angles to the axis of the pipe-opening, and the outer ring beingcorrugated at right angles to the length of the corrugations of theinner member, said outer member having an increased number ofcorrugations which fit in and between the corrugations of the innermember or ring-substantially as described.

5. A ceiling-plate consisting of an inner corrugated ring having itscorrugations at right angles to the pipe-receiving opening therein andhaving the ends thereof joined together, as described, and anothercorrugated member having its corrugations fitted into the ends of thecorrugations of the inner member and suitably fastened or connected tosaid inner member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. COTTER.

Witnesses;

EDWARD S. CASTLE, JOHN MCDONNELL.

